Parents shouldn't fear new guidelines spelling out boundaries with teachers

Support is not being dialled back – rather, the moves will build stronger parent-teacher ties for our children's sake.

- Yuen Kah Mun

As educators who are also parents, my wife and I were heartened by the recent Ministry of Education (MOE) moves to better support teachers and parents to foster a stronger school-home partnership.

Education Minister Chan Chun Sing announced the refreshed Guidelines for School-Home Partnership in September, saying this would help guide schools and parents on how to “work together positively, constructively and respectfully”.

The guidelines include spelling out new boundaries for teachers - they should not be expected to respond to work-related messages after school hours and are not required to share their phone numbers, for example. Parents can use official channels like e-mail or contact them through the school office.

Another move aims to reduce administrative work, allowing parents from the end of 2025 to submit their children’s medical certificates on the Parents Gateway app instead of sending them to teachers.

Like my wife and myself, many teachers among our 30,000-strong teaching force are parents with school-going children, and who keenly appreciate the importance of a strong school-home partnership as a cornerstone for developing well-adjusted children.

Some non-teacher friends have since asked me whether teachers are now expected to delete all the parents’ mobile phone numbers or not respond to them at all after school hours.

To me, this is not a hard and fast rule. In my years as a teacher, most parents that I have worked with are generally respectful and appreciative of the teachers’ time and efforts. Most teachers are willing to go the extra mile for their students depending on the situation, stepping up in emergencies even if it is after school hours.

However, having clarity of the rules of engagement is the first of many steps to a fruitful and mutually respectful partnership.